Crossroads
by Janethewriter1
Summary: A horrible event forces two people from opposite walks of life back to each other, to deal with a past they once shared. A past they both want to forget about. Will they be able to overcome the choices they made in life and close the gap between them or will it push them further apart? AU Haleb Rating: T/M for content Warning: Mentions of sexual assault, drug abuse and self harm.
1. 1: That Hanna girl

**Crossroads**

 **Chapter 01**

 **= That Hanna girl =**

"Hey Hanna, could you give us five copies of these and then I promise we'll get out of here." her co worker handed her a pile of paper as he approached her desk.

"It's quite alright Kevin." Hanna smiled meekly accepting the small pile of papers from Kevin and gave him a brief look. She wasn't surprised to meet his his hopeful gaze as he tried to keep her gaze a bit too long. But just as always, she was the first one to break it.

"I'll come and drop them off in a moment Kevin, you can go back to your meeting." She offered him kindly yet firm.

"Nah that's okay, I'll hang out here for a bit." He leaned against the counter that separated her tiny openoffice and relaxed against it. Watching her as she made her way to the copier where she dumped the papers and sat back down at her desk, typing away, doing anything to look busy even though she had finished work quite a while ago.

"You still busy even with all that overtime you're doing today?" Kevin remarked when she didn't give him the attention he would have liked to receive.

"A secretary's job is never really finished, just doing some prep work for tomorrow. Fridays are always busiest with everyone rushing to get home to celebrate the weekend." She chuckled and finally looked at him as the copier whirred behind them.

"Will you be rushing tomorrow? Any plans with that girlfriend of yours?" He chuckled when she sent him a death glare.

"Having a gay friend, does not make you gay."

"Just making a joke Hanna, you look so tense."

"I'm not tense." She shrugged, standing up to grab the papers for Kevin and handed him the pile. He glanced down to her wrist, but she managed to pull back before he had a change to take a look, especially after the last time.

"Thanks." He took the papers from her, but didn't make an attempt to leave. "If you need someone, I can walk you home Hanna. I'll be happy to, it's getting quite late and there have been some scary people hanging around this building for a while now."

"I'll be fine" she snapped and it came out harsher than she meant. Although she was getting sick of Kevin never giving up on his never ending crush on her. She had been very clear the feeling wasn't mutual and eventually he stopped asking her out and making passes at her. More admirable, he remained friendly towards her, even when she kept dismissing him. She felt bad for snapping at him now. She was certain he had meant well. "I'm sorry Kevin, the offer is very sweet, but I'll be fine."

"I know, you're always fine aren't you Hanna?" He shook his head and turned around back to the meeting room.

This girl, this Hanna girl.

He never quite understood what it was about her that made him keep going back to her. It wasn't so much that he fancied her, which with the way she looked wasn't that surprising. He wasn't the only male in the office that would jump at the chance to go to the reception desk whenever it was needed.

It was more than that.

It was her energy, the way she looked, the way her eyes remained sad even when she forced herself to smile the brightest of smiles that would make her dimples appear.

She was mysterious, guarded and something else he couldn't quite put into words. It was like the sadness so evident in her eyes when she thought nobody was watching her, surrounded her, became her and emanated from her.

He had made many attempts in the past to get to know her better. First he tried with his charm that never really failed before, but Hanna had seemed unaffected. Him however, was all the more affected as she brushed him off like it was second nature to her.

He had come to understand it was second nature to her. He wasn't the first nor last that tried and failed hard.

His next attempt was to hang out at her office desk some times and telling her bits about himself in the hope that she would open up about herself. All that he had managed to find out about her in the past 18 months so far was that she originally came from Rosewood some small town near Philadelphia. That she was 27 and that she shared an apartment with her friend whom she knew from high school and that she was gay. Apparently the latter was an important fact to Hanna, or her friend. He never did manage to find out why she decided to share that particular piece of information.

He had invited her to numerous office events but she always declined. Informing him she still had a lot of "things" to do, whatever those things might be.

Therefore he did not believe his eyes when she walked in 3 months ago for the New Years party, her friend in tow as her plus one who was very easy on the eyes. Kevin didn't miss how this friend, who he later found out was called Emily was a complete contrast to Hanna. Sparkly, alive, energetic and confident. Only when they stood together side by side did he realise how much Hanna cowered whenever anyone approached her and how she hardly made actual eye contact with anyone. He observed them closely when Emily hugged her tightly after they had been greeted jovially by Brent and Brian who had been intoxicated before the party even started.

He had gone over to have a brief talk with them and to introduce himself to her friend, the only thing Hanna actually had talked about. He could tell with her friend next to her, Hanna seemed more relaxed. Her smile even seemed real. She had even taken it upon herself to introduce them and he had looked down ever so briefly to make sure he wouldn't miss Emily's hand due to the copious amount of alcohol he himself had, which always seemed to affect his coordination more than anything.

But then his eyes fell on something else. Hanna's wrists. Without thinking he reached for her arm and held it in his strong hand to take a closer look. He felt Hanna's tug almost instantly but he was stronger.

Lines, raised white lines one after the other. Scars more than lines. Some healed, some still red raw.

Hanna successfully yanked herself away from him and disappeared from view in an instant. Emily remained where she was, staring at him.

He knew what he had done when he met her blazing look of anger.

"What did you do that for?" She yelled at him before disappearing as well, no doubt to find Hanna.

Hanna wrapped her coat around herself a bit tighter as soon as she stepped outside. For late March it was surprisingly chilly, the hard wind that blew in between the buildings in lower Manhattan sending chills to her bones.

She turned to her right as soon as she let the doors behind her fall to a close. She stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes fell on a group of young men. Or at least as young as her.

Her instincts kicked in and she was compelled to turn the other way, walk around the block. Those extra minutes meant nothing if she could keep herself safe. She shook her head and chuckled despite herself.

Instincts. More like her past telling herself everyone was a danger to her and nobody was to be trusted. She raised her head with determination and proceeded the way she was supposed to go. But the closer she got the more she regretted her choice. She could tell by the way they had noticed her already, the way they moved together and their body language that they were up to no good.

The idea to pull out her phone swam through her mind but then Hanna decided against it. She was certain pulling out her new Iphone would get her robbed for sure. She pulled up her hood over her head, shielding herself somewhat from view.

Hanna could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she approached them. She glanced at the group briefly. They were all staring at her. Challenging them now by staring back seemed like an even worse idea so she looked straight ahead holding her breath and silently praying that they wouldn't say, or worse, do anything.

She clenched her teeth as soon as the catcalling started.

"Hey blondie."

"Hey baby, you can work this corner girl, we've got money."

"Bitch."

"I bet she likes it hard."

"Girl, come over here, I need to tap that ass."

"Slut."

Hanna balled her fists inside of the pocket of her coat. She knew she could deal with this. This was New York after all and hardly the worst she ever had to deal with.

She kept walking not showing any sign that she could hear them. She tried not to speed up, swallow or show any sign of fear that they might catch up on. She was nearly there, she nearly passed them now.

"Hey bitch, don't you ignore me!" One of the raspier and angriest of voices called out. The way he spat out the words scared Hanna and made her blood run cold. She knew this wasn't just a threat.

Hanna didn't have a second to prepare for what came next. She felt something grip her by her arm and yank her backwards. Two hands now held onto her in a vice like grip. She could no longer move, she couldn't scream due to shock. In one quick motion the guy pulled his hood over his face under the dim light of the street lamp hiding his face from her successfully. The tip of his large and rather pointy nose still visible as were his thin lips pressed together in undoubtable anger.

Hanna felt herself go limp in his grip, her body stumbling backwards as he pushed her into the nearest alleyway, away from prying eyes on the street.

Fear overcame Hanna as she saw the street and any chance of being saved disappearing from view. The way he purposefully pushed her into the alleyway told her he meant business and he wasn't one to back down from his feelings of righteousness. The last rays of light shining into the alleyway where soon blocked as two more guys from the group that had been standing on the corner came into the alleyway. Making any attempt to escape futile. Hanna tried to concentrate on the guy in front of her. She could tell he was watching her for signs of what to do next.

"Gimme your purse."

Hanna kept a straight face, masking the utter desperation and panic she felt on the inside. She knew it would only fuel the situation and all she cared about was getting out as unscathed as possible.

The guy yanked the purse from her arm when she didn't move fast enough. She looked down and swallowed as he quickly rummaged through her handbag. He pulled out her wallet which he pocketed. He threw the bag over her shoulder further down the alleyway with considerable force. She heard the contents scatter on the floor as the bag finally landed with a loud thud. Still, she kept stoic.

She knew he wasn't done. She could feel his anger.

"Phone." He demanded in a dangerous voice.

Hanna tried hard to keep herself together but everything she was, she owned was on that phone.

"NOW." He suddenly screamed in her face, Hanna could smell the stench of weed and strong liquor on his breath now.

Her facade broke, she boke. Hanna burst into tears, wales of desperation filled the confined space of the alleyway. She stopped abruptly when a large hand twisted around her throat and she was slammed hard against one of the walls. Her head hitting the concrete and a dull thumping pain started in Hanna's head.

"Shut up bitch." He sneered and tightened his grip around her throat even more as a warning. In a panic she grabbed at his hand trying to force him to let go.

"Troy! Hey man!" One of the guys behind him called.

The guy loosened his grip from her throat. But moved in closer. Pushing his body against Hanna's. Trapping her between himself and the wall. She could clearly feel the hard muscles underneath.

"Troy come on, stop. She's scared." Another guy called.

Hanna couldn't react or move. Shock was slowly taking over, the only thing she was experiencing was the pain in her head. She felt his hands run over her coat and reach into the pockets. He smirked and whistled as he looked at the phone he managed to retrieve from her pockets. He held it up high to he could look at it in the dull light.

"Nice." He said in a much calmer voice than the one he had been using.

Hanna remained standing, waiting for him to disappear but he stayed put, his body still pressed close against hers.

His eyes traveled over her, taking in the coat, her neck and her face. Her breathing sped up. Hanna could sense he was staring at her.

Her heart started to race in her chest as breathing became more and more difficult.

She knew that look.

She knew what was running through his mind and that he was weighing up his options.

She knew she knew she knew she knew dammit.

There was nothing she could do now.

His hands reached up to the top button of her coat and yanked her coat open with considerable force. She let out a loud shaky gasp in fright.

Hanna started to tremble, terror threatened to overtake her as he licked his lips and let a hand travel over her chest. His eyes undressing her as he grabbed her.

She could feel herself slipping. She was reliving everything as if she was 13 years old again. The memory came back to her as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. No amount of therapy and self medication had ever erased the horrors of that day.

 _His hand had pushed its way up and under her shirt despite her objections and grasped her breast. She hated how he frantically touched the skin with his rough hands and shoved his tongue in her mouth._

 _She had begged him to stop, pleaded for him to stop._

 _She had tried to push him off her but that only edged him on. His other hand found its way to her chest as well as she stared to cry._

" _Stop! Please stop!"_

" _Hanna, I told you. I've been stuck at first base for too long, it's time for us to move to second base. I've waited long enough. Do your duty as my girlfriend."_

" _Please stop, stop, get off me please." She sobbed but all he did was hitch up her skirt and grabbed at her panties, she started to howl now. Horror filled her as she realised he wasn't stopping._

 _She closed her eyes and continued to beg him to stop._

 _He managed to yank down her cotton underwear enough to shove his hand in between her legs. "Stop the fucking crying Hanna, you're going to love this." He grunted as he forced two fingers inside of her._

 _The pain and scream that followed haunted Hanna from that day on._

The scream coming from Hanna could be heard clearly around the alleyway and well onto the street. More boys came running into the alleyway alerted by her panicked screaming.

"What the fuck is going on?" One guy asked, his face hidden by the balaclava he was wearing. Followed by 2 more guys sporting the same gear.

"Just having a fondle with these perky tits of hers and all of the sudden she loses her shit, stupid bitch." Troy spat and shoved Hanna who fell back against the wall.

"Idiot." The guy with the balaclava yelled and lunged forward, punching Troy in the face. "We don't ever touch women like that you dick!" The guy continued and Hanna found herself staring at the guy now throwing another anger filled punch at Troy. "You take the money and leave." He yelled.

She watched as the other guys made a beeline for it, disappearing from view. Leaving the masked guy and Troy alone with her in the alleyway.

Troy stood up and shoved the masked guy, but he just laughed at Troy. "Fuck off." He sneered. But the latter stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar.

"We need to leave." Troy hissed through his teeth and nodded in Hanna's direction. For the first time the masked guy became aware of the girl still standing there. He felt her gaze on him and for the first time that night he actually looked at her.

She held his gaze as soon as their eyes met. Her face fell and a flicker of recognition showed on her frightened heart shaped face before it disappeared again. Clearly she was imagining things, it must have been the darkness of the night or the way he had looked at her that felt familiar about his dark eyes.

Hanna was certain she didn't have anyone in her life that would rob people on the street.

Behind the balaclava he was freaking out. There was no doubt she had seen something familiar when they had looked at each other. He was just as shocked and if she could see his face behind his balaclava she would be able to see his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Hanna!" He whispered. But it was only Troy that heard him.

" _20 years earlier."_


	2. 2: Happy birthday

**Crossroads**

 **Chapter 02**

 **= Happy birthday =**

 _20 years earlier_

"Hanna baby, come over here please and help me." Ashley called walking into the kitchen placing the art supplies in her arms on the kitchen counter. "And will you bring those glittery pens."

"K mommy." A small voice came from the living room, until an excited Hanna came skipping into the kitchen waving her pens in the air. She climbed on the kitchen stool next to her mom and looked at the cards her mom was taking from the seal. Hanna took one of the cards in her hand to take a closer look at them.

The cards were hot pink and and had a princess on them with glitters all over it. She pointed at the princess "I like it, she looks just like me." Hanna giggled.

"That's because you are daddy's princess." Tom said, walking in the kitchen to grab his briefcase from the counter. He placed a quick kiss on the top of Hanna's head before turning around to leave again.

"You're not working late again tonight, are you Tom?" Ashley asked before he had a chance to leave the kitchen.

"I'll try not to." He mumbled as he made his way out. Ashley stared after him as he left and for the sake of their daughter she hoped he'd be back in time to celebrate Hanna's 7th birthday.

She looked down at her daughter who was patiently waiting for them to get started on her invitations.

"Why don't I put these in the envelopes and you can write the names on them okay?" Ashley pushed a few envelopes towards Hanna who carefully picked out a glitter pen and started to copy down the names her mother had printed for her.

"Mommy, who's name is this?" Hanna's finger hovered over the name her mom had added on the list for her, but she couldn't decipher her moms handwriting.

"That is Caleb honey, he's the new boy in your class." Hanna pulled a face at that.

"Why are you pulling that face?"

Hanna didn't really know why, it was something she had Alison seen doing whenever Caleb walked past them. "Alison says he's a freak and we shouldn't like him."

"Would you like Caleb if Alison didn't tell you he was a freak?"

"Is he?"

"Why does Alison say he's a freak?"

"She says he doesn't have a real mommy and daddy."

"Everybody has a mommy and a daddy Hanna, thats how baby's are made."

"But he lives with Ms Roberts and she never had a big belly to grow a baby and now all of the sudden he lives with her but he's already 8 years old mommy!"

Ashley chuckled at all the information Hanna had been trying to comprehend. "Why don't you just invite Caleb and you can ask him yourself why he lives with Ms Roberts instead of calling him that nasty word."

"But Alison won't be my friend anymore if I invite Caleb to my party."

"She wouldn't be a great friend to begin with if she would skip your party over something that silly. Maybe she shouldn't be your friend at all if she's telling you what to do." Hanna still looked unsure. She liked Alison, she let her play with her dollies and she always knew secrets about everyone and told the craziest stories. She even got into an argument with Hunter Gaines one time when he laughed at Hanna for telling the class she was a princess.

 **XxxxxX**

"Morning Caleb, did you sleep well?" Lisa watched him carefully as he nodded ever so slightly and walked sleepily over to the fridge to grab some milk from the fridge. Lisa walked over to him and offered to take the milk from his hands.

"I can do that for you, what would you like? I have honey rings or cornflakes?"

"I can do it myself." Caleb muttered and poured himself some cereal which he ate in silence.

"I've made you lunch, it's a ham sandwich, a few vegetables and I packed a banana for your morning snack."

Caleb nodded over his cereal but remained quiet. He wasn't really sure what he should think about this cheery happy go lucky lady that was his new foster mother.

He was happy there was food in the house and he got to bring food to school every day, but he didn't really understand why she wanted to make his cereal every morning or why she enjoyed cutting his sandwiches into triangles. Nor could he understand why she insisted to drop him off at school every morning on her way to work. He had told her after his first day he could take the school bus by himself, but she insisted she enjoyed dropping him off. After a week of trying to convince her he was independent enough, he gave up the fight and found himself in the back of her car ever since he had arrived at her house.

She had bought him a booster seat so he could see out of the window and even though he didn't like to admit it, he enjoyed being able to see out of the window to see where they were traveling to. Every time Caleb had gotten into a car with an adult, his backpack on the backseat, it had meant moving to another foster family yet again.

He looked sideways at his brand new backpack he had picked out. Lisa had taken him shopping for new clothes for school. He had been excited about the new clothes. He couldn't remember the last time he didn't have to wear hand me downs. She even took him for some supplies for school and he was allowed to pick out a pencil case, some pens and new pencils for school.

When they were at the store Lisa had suggested a backpack with dinosaurs, but Caleb couldn't tear himself away from the cool black backpack with the skulls on them. He didn't dare ask Lisa if he could have it, with his new clothes and pencil case he felt like he was already pushing his luck, but Lisa had caught him staring at it, ignoring the dinosaur one she had picked out.

"Do you like this one better?" She had asked him kindly. He didn't dare to lie to her and finally nodded, looking at his feet, feeling ungrateful.

When they arrived at school he jumped from the car and bid her a quick goodbye. Today was the first day in his life he felt excited walking into school, for the first time he didn't stress about what he looked like and didn't spend all morning thinking about smart remarks, to ward off any bullies coming his way that would make fun of his outfit. This was going to be a worry free school day for Caleb.

Soon he found out walking in school with his brand new clothes and backpack still put him in the spotlight. But for once, it was the good kind. Hunter Gaines, the coolest kid in the class had complimented him on his cool backpack and even joined him during lunch.

He had even stood up for Caleb when Sean walked passed their table and sneered at Caleb, telling him he would go to hell for carrying around a backpack with skulls.

Caleb wasn't really sure he liked how aggressive Hunter was towards Sean, but at least it kept all the bullies, including Alison DiLaurentis at bay from him as well. Instead she had ignored Caleb all day, which was better than listening to her sly remarks about his appearance and being called a freak for being a foster kid.

At the end of the day when their teacher, Mrs May called Hanna to the front of the class, smiling broadly and looking excited, Caleb couldn't help but smile as well. He found Hanna's smile infectious and she had been very kind to him until Alison started making nasty remarks about him. That still never stopped Hanna from walking him all the way to the library when he couldn't find it the other day or giving him a few pieces of her apple during snack time when he found out he had forgotten his fruit on the kitchen table.

Caleb's smile was suddenly wiped from his face when he discovered the reason Hanna was called to the front of the class and on instinct he slid down in his seat trying to make himself invisible.

She was handing out birthday cards, and if Caleb was good at something. It was _not_ being invited to any birthday parties. Ever.

In some ways it was better, because not being invited to birthday parties saved him from making up excuses to his classmates why he never had a birthday party himself.

To save himself from another disappointment, he motioned to his teacher that he needed the bathroom and exited the room before she could tell him no. He waited in one of the stalls until he could hear the bell ringing signalling the end of his school day. He stayed inside a few more minutes, waiting for his classmates to make their way out before he exited the bathroom.

He quickly made his way into his classroom to grab his rucksack and walked out of school in search for Lisa's car. He spotted it instantly and made his way over to her.

"Hey Caleb, did you have a good day today?" She asked him cheerfully.

"Yup." Was all he managed to mumble, but he didn't have a chance to say more, because Lisa glanced over his shoulder and called out to the person standing behind him.

"Oh hey Hanna! Did you need a ride?"

Caleb turned around to see Hanna standing right there behind them. His eyes dropped down to her hand where she was holding out an envelope for him.

"Hi Ms Roberts, I was just giving Caleb my invitation for my birthday party." She said as she handed him the envelope.

"Do you need me to drop you off at home?" Lisa asked again as she watched the exchange between Caleb and Hanna.

"Uhm okay." She smiled shyly and followed Caleb into the back of the car. He skipped on using the booster seat this time and offered it to Hanna so she could look outside the window instead. But all she did was stare at him as soon as they both settled down.

"You are coming to my party right?" She asked him as soon as Lisa started to drive.

Caleb wasn't sure, he had never been to a classmate's birthday party. He wasn't even sure if he was allowed to go. He caught Lisa's eye in the rearview mirror and she kindly nodded at him.

"Sure I guess."

"Yay," Hanna shrieked in excitement and clapped her hands, missing Caleb's apprehension. He chuckled at her reaction. She must be the first person to feel any kind of way to have him at her birthday party. It made his tummy feel all weird, like a nervous gut feeling erupted in his stomach for a few seconds. The feeling was gone before he could give it any more thought.

"What would you like to have for your birthday sweetie?" Lisa asked glancing towards the backseat.

"A princess barbie, I love princesses. Do you like princesses Caleb?"

"No, I'm a boy! Boys don't like princesses."

"They do, my daddy says I'm his princess and he loves me." She huffed, crossing her arms and pouted at Caleb.

Caleb was about to retort, but Lisa pulled over at a big stately house. Caleb stared at the house, he had never known anyone that lived in a house like this. Now he knew why Hanna's dad called her princess. He must be a king or something to be able to live there.

"Thank you Ms Roberts." Hanna said and jumped from the car.

"No problem sweetie, tell your momma I can take you home whenever she ever needs me to."

"I will! See you Caleb." She waved excitedly.

"See you." He waved and he stared after her as she skipped through the garden leading up to her house, a beautiful woman with long red hair opened the door for her and looked around for the school bus until she spotted Lisa's car and waved at them.

"I see you made a friend." Lisa grinned as they made their way back home, to the other side of town.

"She's not my friend."

"She invited you to her birthday party, that must mean you are friends."

"She invited everyone." He shrugged.

"So who is your friend in school then? You've been going for two weeks, you haven't really told me much about your classmates."

"I dunno, I had lunch with Hunter today, he liked my backpack." Caleb grinned.

"That's good then. Would you like to go to the mall right now so we can pick out a gift for Hanna?"

"I'm not going to that party." He suddenly sulked.

"Why not? Lisa asked, and wondered why he wouldn't like to go to Hanna Marin's party, as far as she could see, Hanna had been nothing but nice to him.

Caleb cowered down in the back of the car, he didn't dare look back at the rear view mirror because he could feel Lisa's eyes on him. "Why not Caleb?" She pressed and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't have any money for a gift." He eventually mumbled.

That caught her attention and she signed, her heart breaking a bit at the sight of Caleb in her backseat. Caleb was not her first foster child but he had been the hardest one to reach so far.

He never talked about his previous foster families, but according to the few statements he had made about them, she knew he had not had it easy. Despite him being so hard to reach and only being in her care for just over 2 weeks, something about him had pulled her in and she felt herself becoming more attached than she ever had to any of her former foster children. The feeling was so intense that she had applied for long term foster care that very morning, right after she had dropped him off at school that morning.

"You don't need money Caleb,, I'll pay for it. You're still a kid, you don't need to have money for these kind of things okay? I don't want you to worry about that, deal?." She watched him intently through the rearview mirror and watched him until he nodded at her reluctantly.

"So do you want to get her that princess barbie she was talking about?"

Caleb suddenly smiled wide and he stared at Lisa. He couldn't believe his luck today.

"Can I?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course you can, Hanna is a very special girl."

 **XxxxxX**

"I'll get it, Hanna yelled as she ran to the door to greet Alison and Emily.

"Happy 7th birthday Hanna." They called in unison carrying their gifts with large bows on them inside.

"Smelly boy here yet?" Alison smirked, after she scanned the room with her nose in the air, sniffing loudly.

"He's not, and you can't call him that Ali, my mommy says that's mean."

"She's only making you act all proper and nice because your father is running for senator Hanna. It's not my fault he's a bastard child."

"Whats a bastard?" Aria who had joined them, asked curiously. Her large eyes flicking between Hanna and Alison.

"It's when kids don't have their parents last name. Kids that aren't allowed in church."

"Why isn't he allowed in church?" Aria asked and stared at Alison in awe.

"Because you can't get baptized if your parents aren't married, duh." She huffed.

Hanna meant to ask Alison how she was so certain about all of this, but the doorbell rang again. Her excitement got the better of her and she ran to the door to meet her next guest.

"Hi Caleb!" She exclaimed in a high pitched voice and hoped Alison was done gossiping about the very same buy who was standing in front of her with an uncertain look on his face.

"Caleb, Lisa." Ashley Marin spoke from behind Hanna and welcomed the pair inside.

"Why don't you place that on the table sweetie, we are opening presents later." Ashley told him kindly and pointed to the table where the rest of the guest had left their gifts. He carefully placed the neatly wrapped present with the pink bow on top along the other gifts and followed Ashley into the living room, where most of the class had gathered.

"Hey Caleb." Todd waved at him, relieved to see more boys had joined the party amongst all the overexcited girls, pink and princess related decorations.

Caleb felt grateful at least some people were excited to see him. He glanced at Alison who was staring at him with her arms crossed, giving him a disapproving look, whispering something to Aria, before he made his way to join Todd.

 **XxxxxX**

"What are you making?" Hanna asked, looking at Caleb who was still staring at the various options to choose from to make a pin. Her own hands already clutching a crown, flower and a princess pin she already made.

"Not sure yet." He shrugged and Hanna followed his gaze.

"What about this one?" She asked and picked up a skull one. "It would match your backpack." She said and handed him the metal front in the shape of a skull. Hanna nearly missed the big smile appearing on his face at her words.

"What's so funny?" She questioned, seeing his face all lit up.

He quickly wiped the smile off his face, yet a trace of it lingered on his face.

"Nothing."

He would never tell Hanna why he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He couldn't admit to her how warm his insides were when she told him it would match his backpack.

That meant she had noticed him. She saw him as any other kid in her class and she was the first person that had invited him to their birthday party.

Hanna might not know it yet but he knew from that day on she would always be special to him.

 **XxxxxX**

 **Reviews make my day!**

 **Let me know if you would like a preview for the next chapter. It's going to be called** " _ **letters."**_

 _ **Also, for the people who've been asking about Jealous and Unexpected. No I've not given up on either and hopefully they will be updated soon.**_


	3. 3: Under the same moon

**Crossroads**

 **Chapter 03**

 **= Under the same moon =**

 _19 years earlier_

 **XxxxX**

 _14th July, Catskills, NY_

 _Dear Caleb,_

 _Thank you for your letter!_

 _It made me so happy, I'm glad you are having fun._

 _I wouldn't enjoy shooting cans with Hunter that much._

 _What else did you do this summer?_

 _I really like summer camp._

 _I was homesick, but I have really nice counselors and they made me feel all better._

 _I hugged my princess barbie extra tight to help me sleep._

 _My favorite things to do at camp are:_

 _Swimming, arts and crafts and fashion._

 _My least favorites are:_

 _Nature, archery and whenever we have clean up duty._

 _I have made some really great friends, they're called Kat, Kayleigh and Sarah but I miss you. Can you come to camp next year as well?_

 _Please write back_

 _Hanna._

 **XxxxX**

"Caleb, could you come downstairs please? You have a visitor!"

"I'm coming!" He yelled back towards the open door of his bedroom as he carefully folded Hanna's letter back into the envelope and placed it back on his desk. He made his way downstairs wondering who would be visiting him. It couldn't be Hunter, he usually threw stones at his window until he came out into the garden to greet him there. Curiously he walked into the kitchen, knowing that's where he could find his foster mom and whoever the visitor was.

"Oh hi Mrs Marin." He smiled, seeing who was sitting at the kitchen table with a big steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"Hi Caleb, you're looking all tanned. Have you been playing outside?"

He nodded at her and slid onto the chair opposite Mrs Marin. For a moment he was afraid she might be there for something he did and wondered if she was mad at him, but when he saw a smile identical to Hanna's appear on her face, he knew he wasn't in trouble.

"Caleb, Mrs Marin is here because she wants to ask you something." Lisa said, joining them.

He wriggled in his seat and nervously glanced between the two women waiting for either of them to speak.

"Caleb, Lisa told me you and Hanna have been sending each other letters?"

He gulped loudly but nodded at her, waiting apprehensively for her to continue.

"Have you replied to her last letter yet?" Lisa told me you received Hanna's letter a few days ago?

"No." He answered truthfully, shaking his head.

"Okay, that's great. Well I'm not sure if Hanna has told you in her letters, but tomorrow is visiting day at camp. Her daddy can't make it because he's got lot of work to do. So I was wondering if you wanted to come with me instead to visit Hanna at camp? I'm sure she would really love it to see you again."

Caleb was certain he could feel his heart beat out of his chest and he smiled widely at Mrs Marin and then looked at his foster mom.

"Can I go Lisa?" He asked, nearly jumping off his chair in excitement.

"Of course you can sweetie."

"Thank you!" And this time he did jump up from his chair. He hugged Lisa around the waist before he could stop himself.

Lisa was shocked to find Caleb hugging her so tight, but recovered herself quickly, she ruffled his hair in response until he let go of her. She didn't want to make it into a big deal that this was the first time he had initiated giving her a hug or shown any kind of physical affection towards her.

"Do I need to pack a bag?"

"You will need some swimming trunks, sunblock, maybe a hat and sunglasses. I will make sure we have food for the road."

"Okay." He grinned broadly. "I'll go pack now!" He yelled from the hallway, thundering up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Both Ashley and Lisa smiled at each other as they watched him go.

"I didn't even get a chance to tell him that he needs to be ready at 6am tomorrow morning." Ashley mumbled, sipping her coffee and looking at Lisa over the rim of her mug.

"No need, he'll be up by the crack of dawn anyway. He's too excited now."

She looked back at Ashley, her smile still firmly in place. "Thank you for this Ashley, this friendship that he has with Hanna is very special to him and I can tell she's been a great influence on him.

"I feel the same way Lisa, Ashley said sitting back down at the kitchen table. "I never imagined Hanna to be the type of girl who would end up with a boy for a best friend, but I guess you never know right?"

"Caleb is her best friend?" What about those girls? I see her a lot around town with those four girls. They seem inseparable."

"They are, in a way. But I do overhear Hanna and Caleb talking in her bedroom sometimes. I know she tells him more than what she shares with those girls."

"In her bedroom?" Lisa asked rather shocked. Ashley didn't seem like the type of person who would let Hanna out of her sight, nevermind having a boy hang out in her bedroom, despite the fact that they were only 8 years old. Especially now Tom Marin had won his campaign for senator fairly recently.

"Oh, is that something you don't want them to do? I mean, they're only so young and I don't want them to feel like they shouldn't be friends just because they're not the same sex."

"No Ashley, it's absolutely fine. They don't ever go upstairs when Hanna is here, so I didn't think about it. Although they do hang out in the study a lot."

"They're really cute." Ashley smiled more to herself than to Lisa. I'm glad he came to live with you."

 **XxxxX**

"What time is it Hanna?" Her excited friend Kayleigh asked her, jumping up and down on the porch of their cabin.

Hanna looked at the pink glittery watch her grandmother had given her for her birthday. "It's only 10 am Kayleigh, stop fretting and jumping on the porch. Nobody will be here until midday."

Kayleigh sighed and sat back down next to Hanna who was sitting cross legged on the porch, looking over some strings that her counselor had given her the day before.

"What are you doing with those anyway?"

"I'm making a friendship bracelet."

"For who?" Kayleigh asked, running her fingers over the colored strings.

"Caleb." Hanna answered simply.

"Oohhhh your boyfriend." Kat, her blonde friend catcalled, coming from the cabin and out on the porch to join them, Sarah, their other friend trailing behind her.

Hanna rolled her eyes and sent Kat a deathglare.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"How many _friends_ are you making bracelets for then?" Kat challenged.

Hanna didn't answer, but the victorious smile on Kat's face was enough to make her scowl. She didn't understand why they would tease her for having a boy as a best friend.

"We're too young to have boyfriends. Mommy says you're not supposed to have a boyfriend until you're ready to get married."

"My sister is 15 and she has a boyfriend." Kayleigh added and wondered briefly if she was supposed to know about it.

"I saw them kissing once and she put her tongue in his mouth." She added in a hushed voice, getting the attention from all three girls.

Kat and Hanna stared at her in awe.

"Ewww." Sarah said loudly.

"Yuk, why would she do that?"

Kayleigh shrugged. "I didn't ask."

"Didn't ask what?" Sadie, their counselor asked, making all four girls to jump a foot in the air. No one had seen Sadie coming out of the cabin.

"Nothing." Sarah squealed and turned bright red.

Sadie glanced at the four girls, blushing various shades of crimson. Hanna pretended she wasn't part of the conversation and concentrated hard on the bracelet she was making.

Sadie decided to let it go. There was no need to embarrass them further, she had heard enough on her way to the porch.

"How's the bracelet coming along Hanna?" She asked, looking at her handiwork.

"Its fine, I had to start all over because I messed up in the beginning."

"It needs to be perfect because it's for her boyfriend." Kat teased and Sarah giggled loudly.

 **XxxxxX**

Caleb stared through the window of the car as they pulled into the camp. It was exactly as Hanna described in her letters. Cabins dotted all around, a large building with 3 story windows on each side, which must be the dining hall like she had explained. Behind it, he saw a large swimming pool. It reminded him a lot of the movie Hanna made him watch about two girls going to a summer camp and finding out they were twins.

He jumped out of the car excitedly and waited impatiently for Mrs Marin to join him.

She guided him to walk up to a hill where another building came into view and he could hear loud singing coming from inside. It sounded like there might be at least a thousand kids inside.

A friendly looking woman greeted them and Ashley told her who they were coming to visit. The woman smiled warmly at them and pointed them into a room where all the remaining campers that hadn't reunited with their families yet, were gathered.

Caleb took one look inside the large room and located Hanna straight away. She had her back towards them. Some girls sitting opposite her caught him staring at Hanna. A dark haired girl smiled shyly at him and nudged the blonde girl beside her. They both stared open mouthed at him which made Hanna turn around to see what they were gawking at.

Her eyes met Caleb's for a few seconds, a wide smile graced her face. She shrieked loudly, making the people around her turn around in fright, but she had already jumped up from her seat. Before he knew it she had flung herself at him, her arms wrapped tight around his neck. He hugged her back and patted her back a few times, his face erupted in a wide smile, happy to be reunited with her after three long weeks apart. They stood there until Ashley made her presence known by coughing loudly, her eyebrows raised at the pair.

"Do I get a hug?"

"Mommy!" Hanna gushed and let her mother hug her much longer than she would have liked, whilst Caleb stood there awkwardly, fully aware of the girls at Hanna's table staring at him and exchanging heated whispers.

"Come on Caleb, I want you to meet my friends." Hanna grabbed Caleb's arm and lead him over to the dining table where her friends were already staring at the pair expectantly.

 **XxxxX**

Hanna was certain that today had been the best day she had at summer camp so far. The moment she was reunited with her best friend she had realised how much she had missed him. It had dawned on her how much time they spend together before she left for the summer.

As soon as Hanna had managed to get Caleb away from her friends clutches, she had taken him and her mother on a tour of the campgrounds and showed them the bunk bed she shared with Sarah, introduced them to her counsellors Sadie and Steph and led them down to the swimming pool for a much needed break.

Hanna peered over the swimming pool filled with her fellow campers and their families. She had the best time swimming around in the water with Caleb, racing each other, diving up rocks from the bottom of the pool and Caleb splashing some of the boys that Hanna had pointed out because they had teased her.

Hanna looked up from the beach towel she was currently sharing with Caleb to see her mother returning to them with 3 large sodas and a brown bag in her hand.

"Figured you guys might be ready for a snack." She smiled and joined them where they were basking in the sun.

"Mommy, can I show Caleb the farm?" She asked as soon as she swallowed the last of her turkey sandwich. "He hasn't seen it yet and I promised I would show him before he has to leave." Fidgeting with the blanket, hoping her mom would hurry up and finish the coffee that she was sipping carefully.

"Of course baby, we can go as soon as I finish my coffee."

"Can me and Caleb go on our own?" Hanna asked her sweetly and Caleb knew without looking at her, she was shooting her mom the sweetest smile she reserved for special moments like this, he watched Mrs Marin's resolve crumbling like snow in the sun.

"Fine, but you have to be back here in one hour."

"Promise!" Hanna yelled to her mom ready to take off running, taking Caleb's hand in hers and pulling him with her to the opposite side of the camp. They were out of breath by the time they reached the farm where they spent a long time feeding the animals and petting them under supervision of the farming teachter.

"Thank you for coming today Caleb", Hanna said when they started to wander off to the nearby field leading to the lake and boathouse, Hanna bending down a few times to pick a few wild flowers on her way.

"Thank you, I was so excited to come and see you, your mom made me promise not to tell you because it was a surprise. He grinned.

"It's the best surprise ever." She grinned back, but Caleb could tell her bright smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

He sat down in the grass and Hanna followed him, plucking at the flowers in her hand absentmindedly, letting the petals fall in the grass.

He observed her for a while, he knew what was on her mind. "Are you upset he's not here?" Caleb regretted asking her as soon as he heard the soft sniffles filling the quiet humid air. He cursed himself for making her feel sad and scooted over so that he was right next to her.

"Hanna, I'm sorry," and he wrapped an arm around her. She cuddled into his side as a few more tears fell onto the grass below. He let her cry for a moment and honestly he had no clue what to say to her to make her feel better.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't have a dad like you, she weeped. Mine isn't nice at all."

Caleb was at a loss for words, he had only seen Mr Marin a handful of times, on those occasions he had been distant but friendly.

"At least you have your mom right?" He tried to lighten the mood, which worked a tiny bit when Hanna flashed him a small smile.

He thought hard for something to distract her from thinking about her dad, he knew how much it upset her. "So tell me more about camp, whats the best thing you've done so far?"

She thought for a moment, her dimples appearing as she strained to come up with a good response. He watched as her smile grew wider. "My counselor Sadie took us stargazing last night. She let us stay up for the longest time until it was really dark outside and brought us here into the field. She put down some blankets and we all laid on our backs looking at the stars and the moon, trying to find the north star."

"Did you find it?"

"I think so." Hanna giggled and let herself fall backwards in the grass. Caleb followed her and laid down beside her, the grass tickling his bare arms and legs. He felt her slip her hand in his and she lifted their joined hands in the air.

"It was right there, above our heads." She closed her eyes and imagined Caleb was there with her last night, sharing her best memory with him. Their hands fell back to the ground as they both laid there side by side pretending to lie under a blanket of stars

 **XxxxX**

Lisa walked up the stairs in her house towards Caleb's bedroom, wondering if he was asleep yet. She tucked her head around the door to see him slipping on his pyjamas.

"Ready for bed?"

"Yup." Caleb answered her quickly and hopped onto his bed, lying on his back as Lisa tucked him in.

She sat on the edge of his bed facing him. "You still have that goofy smile on your face," she chuckled. "I'm happy you had such a great time. We should bring Mrs Marin some flowers tomorrow to thank her for taking you with her."

Caleb nodded enthusiastically and ran his hand over his wrist. She looked down at the friendship bracelet he had proudly showed her as soon as he got home, bouncing off the walls in excitement. Telling her all about his day and how much fun he had.

She smiled at his tired face and ran her hand over his cheek. "Sleep tight buddy, Hanna will be home before you know it."

Caleb had tried for what seemed like hours to sleep, but he kept tossing and turning, playing today's events over in his head.

He knew Lisa didn't like it when he got out of bed but he quietly climbed out and walked over to the window, he opened it wider to let the night air in. Caleb watched a cat walking along the deserted dark street outside his house. The glow of the moon illuminating the cars parked around the street.

He looked up at the moon and wondered briefly if Hanna was looking at the same moon at that very moment, thinking about him. He pondered if she missed him as much as he missed her. His hand brushed over the friendship bracelet again and he smiled. It may have been a small gesture to anyone, but to him it meant everything. She even remembered to use his favorite color's, blue green and orange.

Caleb took one last look at the moon and grabbed his curtain when a car door slamming down below on the street grabbed his attention. He didn't know what time it was, but it must have been late. He crept closer to the window to see which neighbour it was. He recognised her as the lady from across the street. He didn't really know her, but he knew she had an older daughter called Kate, he disliked her with a passion. She walked around the neighbourhood as if she owned the place. He watched as the man who was with her hugged her and Caleb wondered who it was. He knew her husband was bald and this man had dirty blonde hair.

He giggled quietly when they started kissing, it looked like they were trying to eat each others faces and Caleb stared at them in disgust, why was she kissing a man that wasn't her husband? Caleb was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't seen that the pair had broken apart, he squinted down at the couple trying to figure out who the man could be when the man suddenly looked up at his window as if he had felt Caleb staring at them. They looked at each other for a second and Caleb felt his blood run cold.

He yelped in shock and yanked his curtains close. He stood there frozen to the spot, his heart racing in his chest. He was certain the man on the street had recognised him as much as he had recognised the unmistakable features of Mr Tom Marin.

 **XxxxX**

 **I'd love a review as always.**

 **Preview? Let me know**


	4. 4: The threat

**Crossroads**

 **Chapter 04**

 **= The threat =**

 _19 years earlier_

 _Caleb was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't seen that the pair had broken apart, he squinted down at the couple trying to figure out who the man could be when the man suddenly looked up at his window as if he had felt Caleb staring at them. They looked at each other for a second and Caleb felt his blood run cold._

 _He yelped in shock and yanked his curtains close. He stood there frozen to the spot, his heart racing in his chest. He was certain the man on the street had recognised him as much as he had recognised the unmistakable features of Mr Tom Marin._

 **XxxxX**

Isobel was rooted to the spot as she watched the swift exchange between Tom and the boy upstairs.

"Shit!" Tom cursed when Caleb had unmistakably recognised him. "Dammit." He swore again and found Isobel staring at him, her eyes wide.

"How do you kn…"

"It's that damn kid Hanna hangs out with, Caleb!" He spat. "Ms Roberts new project." He hissed in case Caleb overheard through his open window, looking up to make sure the curtains of Caleb's room remained closed. He turned his attention back to Isobel who looked frightened at this new information.

"Go inside, I'll take care of this."

"But Tom…"

"Now Bella! I promise you, we'll be fine. Let me handle it." Tom urged and waited for Isobel to make her way into her house, turning around to look at him before closing the door.

Upstairs in his room, Caleb was still standing behind the closed curtain, their hushed voices drifting through the open window.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Mr Marin had said: " _I'll take care of this."_

Caleb wasn't too sure what " _this_ " was, but the way Mr Marin had spat the words, scared Caleb. He could tell Mr Marin was still outside on the street and he wondered why he hadn't left yet.

Fearfully he thought that maybe Mr Marin would try and climb up to his room by the drainpipe.

After a few tense moments, he heard a car door opening and the engine starting. Caleb didn't dare to look outside until minutes after the car had driven away and the street below fell into quietness once more. He released a deep breath when he peeked out and saw Mr Marins car was gone from the street.

Heavy hearted and replaying the night over in his head, he laid back into his bed, but didn't try to go to sleep. He knew it was futile anyway.

 **XxxxX**

Lisa had gone upstairs several times that morning, yet found Caleb in a deep sleep every time she checked in on him. Even when she sat on the edge of his bed, looking at him for while and running her hand through his long hair, he didn't wake up. She reckoned it must have been the excitement of seeing Hanna the previous day that must have tired him out.

She looked at the clock when she entered the kitchen, 11 am. She sighed and wondered if she could make a quick trip to to shops and back before Caleb woke up. She knew in the past he had been left by himself for several days on end when he was with his previous foster family, but she had never done anything of the like before. She knew Caleb was growing used to being cared for and looked after. But she knew him well enough to know he would be fine by himself for a little while. In the end she decided to leave him a note on his bedroom door to inform him where she was and that she would be back soon.

 **XxxxX**

Caleb woke up with a start, his heart hammering in his chest. He had a terrible dream but he didn't quite remember what it was about. All he remembered was the sound of gunshots ringing in his ears seconds before he woke up.

He looked around his room and wondered why he felt so terrible and drained. Like he hadn't slept at all. He could still hear the sound of the gunshots from his dream ringing in his ears.

 _Boom - boom - boom_

He came to realise it wasn't the sound of gunshots he was hearing, but someone pounding on the front door. He was surprised Lisa hadn't opened the door yet. Curiously he slipped out of bed and sleepily read the note attached to his door.

As his brain started to wake up, he Understood he was alone at the house, he ran down the stairs to meet their guest.

He yanked open the door as soon as he reached it.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw who it was and he took a few steps back into the hallway.

Tom Marin was staring him down as he backed up even further.

Unbeknownst to Caleb, Mr Marin had asked his assistant to watch the house all morning, hoping for a chance to catch Caleb by himself to go out and play with his friends.

Luck was on his side when his assistant called and told him Lisa left the house with a few shopping bags.

"Can I come in?" He asked, his tone threatening. Caleb knew it wasn't a question. He watched Tom step into the hallway and close the door behind him. Tom hovered over Caleb, advancing on him menacingly and he felt helpless in defending himself.

Caleb started to tremble and fought hard not to show how frightened he felt. He balled his fists and clenched his jaw in an effort to appear braver than he felt.

"Do you have any idea who I am boy?" Tom sneered loudly.

Caleb was thrown off by his question, of course he knew who he was. He had been to his house countless times. He nodded vigorously and squeaked. "You're Hanna's dad."

"Indeed." He jeered, giving Caleb a threatening smile.

"I'm Hanna's dad." He started and took a step towards Caleb, towering over him, his eyes boring into Calebs. "I'm also the governor. Do you know what that means?"

"It means you're the boss of Rosewood." Caleb answered bravely, remembering what Hanna had told him last year when he asked her why her dad was such an important man.

"You can say that," he chuckled, but to Caleb it didn't sound like a joke at all. Tom leaned down to Caleb's eye level and kept his gaze.

"It also means I get to say what happens to everyone here in Rosewood. So know what's good for you boy and make sure you forget what you saw last night." He raised his index finger and jabbed in hard i. Caleb's chest to emphasize the point he was making.

"Forget it all or I'll make sure your social worker will remove you from this house by tonight and place you in a group home on the other side of the country."

Caleb's mind was racing and he felt more frightened than ever. He had been in a group home once before and that was one place he'd never want to return to again.

"Do we have an understanding?" Tom asked, and observed the way all color drained from Caleb's face. He didn't wait to hear the boy's answer. He knew Caleb had understood his options.

Caleb remained in the spot Mr Marin had left him, anger and terror taking over. Caleb bit his lip hard in an attempt to keep himself calm, he squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears threatening to fall at bay. He took a large step towards the door and slammed it shut with all his might. The sound of the door slamming ringing through the quiet neighbourhood.

He ran up to his room and slammed that door as well. His eyes fell on the note Lisa had left him and he tore it off as he yelled in frustration. Taking all his anger out in the offending note, shredding it to pieces.

He advanced on his desk and in one rage fueled motion shoved everything off his desk, his possessions flying everywhere.

He picked up his pencil case from his bed where it landed and threw himself face down onto his mattress, punching into his pillows until his arms hurt.

He couldn't do it, Caleb could no longer fight his tears and he let them fall freely into the sheets below.

 **XxxxX**

It had been 4 weeks since Lisa had found Caleb in his room crying in despair.

His room trashed and the remains of what she could only guess was a moment of frustration.

She had tried to approach him, to comfort him but he had screamed at her to leave him the hell alone.

Shocked by his outburst, she had backed off and left his room, taking one last look at his belongings strewn across his room and the note she had left him that morning shredded to pieces.

Upset and concerned Lisa had called Caleb's social worker to ask her for advice. However all Lisa was told was that his behavior was normal and expected. Part of the bonding process all foster kids went through.

She went as far to tell Lisa this was a good thing, as Caleb obviously felt secure enough in her care to act out.

Lisa didn't give up her fight for Caleb and explained to the social worker Caleb had acted out many times, but this was different.

She would never go as far to say fostering Caleb had been a walk in the park, but his behavior wasn't as challenging as some of the other kids that had stayed with her and she demanded a meeting with the social worker to see if Caleb was willing to speak with her, to find out if there was anything he would tell his social worker he didn't feel like telling Lisa.

Feeling like she managed to convince his social worker to come around, she went to find Caleb to tell him the social worker would be coming to the house that very next day.

It shocked her that the news made Caleb angrier than he'd been before and things soon took a turn for the worse.

The look he had given her, shook her to the core.

One of hopelessness mixed with what she recognised as defeat. Without a word he turned back to his room. She heard the bedroom door slam from the living room.

Caleb refused to come back out until the very next day.

When he finally did show up for the meeting with his social worker. He dragged the backpack with him he had with him when he was brought to her doorstep a year ago. In his other hand he held a small plastic bag with some of his dearest possessions he had accumulated this past year.

He stood by the door without so much as a word to either of the adults in the room, waiting for either of them to speak.

Surprised at his behaviour, Lisa asked him what he was doing with the bags. She caught the social working looking at Caleb with sadness in her eyes.

The social worker carefully walked over to where Caleb was hovering in the doorframe and led him to the couch, motioning him to sit down and she took a place next to him.

"Caleb," she began softly and waited for Caleb to meet her eye. "I'm here today to talk to you, see how you are doing. I haven't seen you in such a long time that I wanted to check in on you." She explained kindly, but he still looked a bit sad.

"I'm not here to take you to another family." She made herself clear and shared a meaningful look with Lisa over his shoulder.

The other woman let out a breath when she realised how uncertain Caleb still felt about her as his foster mother.

 **XxxxX**

"Hi Ms Roberts!" Hanna exclaimed excitedly, still in her camp gear, sporting a grin from ear to ear. Her eyes twinkling in excitement. Lisa surveyed the small girl in front of her door and wondered if she had spend more than a minute at home before making a beeline for her house.

She knelt down and hugged the 8 year old.

Hanna quickly let go of the hug and looked hopefully over her shoulder into the house.

"Caleb isn't home yet." She explained before Hanna could ask. "I asked him to come with me to your house to greet you, but he's not home yet honey." She saw the crestfallen look on Hannah's face.

"You can wait here if you want, I was going to make you a welcome home cake with Caleb but we could do it together instead? I'm sure he will be home any minute." She encouraged even though she didn't believe her own words.

"No it's fine, thank you Ms Roberts." Hanna said in a tiny wavering voice and turned around to leave, her shoulders down, wiping at her face as soon as she made her way back home.

 **XxxxX**

He had laid awake for another night, just like he had done since Mr Marin had come to his house.

Not only did he have Mr Marin's secret to think about, but this time he could add feeling guilty for being a crappy friend to Hanna. As soon as he got back from spending the day with Hunter, he had received quite the scolding from Lisa for not being home as promised.

He couldn't come up with a good excuse as to why he hadn't been there when Hanna came back from camp, nor why he didn't come home to bake her a welcome home cake like he promised.

He felt terrible when Lisa told him Hanna herself had come to the house to see him, and that she had cried when he wasn't there to greet her like he promised her in his letters.

He got out of bed that morning with renewed vigour and determination, vouching to make it up to Hanna.

Whatever Hanna's father might have said, or however much Caleb was intimidated by him, he would not let him get in between his friendship with Hanna.

Caleb grabbed his carefully wrapped gift he bought for Hanna with the money he earned doing odd jobs around town and put it in the pocket of his jeans, running down the stairs, flying into the kitchen and running into Lisa who eyed him suspiciously.

"Hey Caleb. Where are you off to?" Lisa asked when Caleb dashed for the front door without so much as a hello or a sneaky bite from her toast she was about to eat.

"Going to see Hanna!" He smiled.

"Don't you want to eat first?"

"I'm not hungry." His stomach felt too queasy for food.

"But…" She trailed off, but Caleb was bolting out of the door and left on his new racing bike.

The closer he got to his destination, the more nervous he grew. He looked up at the house and tried to make out if Hanna was home. And more importantly, if Mr Marin was home. Despite his fears he dumped his bike in the front garden and made his way to the large double front door.

Before he could raise his hand to knock, it swung open.

Mr Marin stepped into the entrance, towering over him and glared at him.

Caleb's immediate reaction was to run away, but his need to make amends with Hanna kept him in place. He couldn't live with the idea that Hanna believed herself unimportant to him. If she knew how much she really meant to him she would never doubt herself again. Spending these past 4 weeks without her, showed him exactly how much he cared, even though he'd never admit all of that to Hanna.

"What do iou want boy?!" Mr Marin barked at him when he didn't speak up, and Caleb tried hard to hide his trembling hands behind his back.

"Is Hanna home?" He hated that his voice came out really high.

Mr Marin was spared to come up with a lie when Hanna came skipping to the door. She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the unexpected visitor and stared at Caleb from underneath her father's arm that was resting on the doorframe.

His heart tugged when he saw a trace of sadness in her usually sparkling blue eyes.

He shifted on his feet and waited while Hanna hugged her father who was leaving for work. Caleb stared after him, Mr Marin glared at Caleb in return as he pulled out of the drive.

Caleb knew Mr Marin would never say a word. Especially when Hanna was nearby. Just as Caleb would never tell anyone what he'd seen.

Caleb let out a breath when Mr Marin disappeared from view. He slowly he turned around and looked at Hanna.

"Hey." He smiled weakly.

"Hey," She huffed, crossing her arms and staring at him. "Your buddy Hunter too busy for you today?" She snapped.

He shrugged. "I dunno, I came straight to your house." He admitted and he looked helplessly at Hanna. Her arms were still crossed and he knew by her demeanor that ignoring her on her first day back had hurt her feelings. He felt like a complete jerk for making her sad.

"You should have called first, I'm going to Ali's house." She said.

"No you're not." He laughed and Hanna scowled at him.

"You always have your hair down when you go and see Ali." He pointed at her high ponytail with the pink bow. "Why do you want to look like her anyway? She's not as pretty as you."

"She's the prettiest girl in our class." Hanna muttered, looking at her feet when she felt her cheeks burning at Caleb's confession.

"Says who?" Caleb challenged, he never saw the appeal in Ali. He couldn't fathom why Hanna was so taken with her. Allison wasn't even nice to her friends and bossed them around all the time. The only reason she had stayed clear of Caleb for the past year, was because he hung out with Hunter from time to time.

"Boys… Sean…all the girls." Hanna continued, thinking of all the people infatuated with Alison.

Caleb snorted at that. He decided he was going to stop and understand the obsession with Alison and reminded himself why he was here, at Hanna's doorstep. "Can I come in?" He asked and his question took Hanna by surprise.

"Uh sure…" She pushed the door open wider and disappeared down the hallway, Caleb followed her silently until he reached the kitchen.

"Hi Mrs Marin," He said happily, seeing Ashley in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Hey Caleb." She waved quickly, and flipped the pancake she was cooking. "It's good to see you again."

She grabbed an empty plate and placed it on the kitchen island where he'd taken a seat right next to Hanna. Ashley observed them, both patiently waiting for her to finish cooking breakfast, their arms pressed against each other as they watched her serve the pancakes on their plates.

 **XxxxX**

After spending the entire day at Hanna's house, having breakfast together and helping her un-pack her bags from summer camp, they all went into town together to order some photos she had taken at camp for her album, a lot of them from visiting day when Caleb came for a visit.

They had shared their stories about their time apart, Caleb preferring to listen to Hanna's than tell her how he spend his time trying not to think about how much he missed her and filling that gap with hanging out with Hunter.

They had so much to catch up on, that Caleb was still at her house just before dinner. Hanna suggested watching a movie whilst they waited for dinner, as Ashley instructed them to stay close by.

Hanna climbed on her bed after they managed to agree on Jumanji. She was about to lay back against the pillows when Caleb sat up. She craned her neck to see what he was doing. He grabbed something from his pocket and held it in front of him.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at the small wrapped box in his hand.

"Open it and find out." He smirked.

Hanna rolled her eyes at his cheekiness, but took the small box from his hand nevertheless, curious to see what he'd gotten her. She couldn't think of a single reason why he would get her a gift.

She gasped when she lifted the silver charm bracelet from its box and held it in front of her face to examine it closely.

"Caleb!" She gasped. "It's beautiful."

They beamed at each other and Caleb held out his hand. "Can I?" He took the bracelet from her and he clasped it around her outstretched hand. Hanna held her arm up and examined it further.

Caleb brushed his hand over the charms. "This one, this one is obvious because butterflies are your favorite animal." He started in a quiet voice. "Then there's the tiara because you love princesses, and this one, the seven, is because your birthday was the first birthday I was ever invited to."

She smiled brightly at him. "What about this one?" She frowned, running the last one he didn't mention through her fingers.

He followed her gaze and looked at the last charm that looked like it didn't belong there at all. Even the nice lady at the store had asked him if he was sure he wanted to add the last one as it seemed so out of place.

"You don't have to keep that one." He chuckled. "But I couldn't find anything that resembled that we are friends. So I went with something that would remind you of me." He explained, tearing his eyes away from the skull shaped charm and watched a smile spread across her face.

"I love it." She decided.

"I like to have something that shows that we are frie… I mean, best friends." She corrected confidently.

"We are best friends." He agreed, running his hand over the friendship bracelet Hanna made for him at summer camp.

 **XxxxX**

Ashley could feel the anger bubbling inside of her. She slammed her phone down on the counter and tried to push her mind away from infuriating her husband.

She wondered how long he would keep lying to her. Part of her wondered if he suspected she knew he was lying. They had been married for 15 years now and it pissed her off to realize he thought so less of her to believe she couldn't hear he was lying.

The sudden increase to his late nights in the office a total contrast to the non existent increase to his paycheck. But what was she supposed to do? Not only was he governor now, Ashley had devoted herself to being a housewife and the best mother she could be to Hanna. And Hanna needed a mother and a father, a better life than she herself had growing up.

 _Hanna_ … Ashley realised. It had been a while she had heard voices and giggles coming from upstairs where Caleb and Hanna had disappeared to half an hour ago.

Quietly she went upstairs, pausing at the landing and straining her ear for any noise coming from the open door leading to Hanna's bedroom. But it was silent.

Panic took over, thinking Caleb and Hanna might have sneaked out of the house. She looked around the corner inside of the room.

Her hand found its way to her heart of its own accord and she stopped herself from making any noise.

Ashley stood in the doorframe a few minutes, staring at her daughter and Caleb sleeping side by side on top of Hanna's pink duvet. Their hands so close to each other it left Ashley wondering if they had been holding hands moments ago.

She ran downstairs to retrieve her camera and quickly snapped a photo of the peaceful pair. Reminding herself to print off a copy for Lisa.

 **XxxxX**

 **Preview?**

 **Reviews are always appreciated. Any questions, suggestions are always welcome.**

 **The next chapter will be called: "** _ **Happy birthday! Right?"**_


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